Baseball glove



Oct. 13, 1931. w. P. WHITLEY 1,826,851

BASEBALL GLOVE Filed March 5, 1927 /A/V5/VTOES WILL/AM R WH/TLEKPatented Oct. 13, 1 931 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE ,WILLIAM P. WHITLEY,OF CLAYTON, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO RAWLINGS MANUFAC' TUBING COMPANY, OFS'IHIrOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI BASEBALL eLovEApplication filed March 5,

This invention relates to baseball gloves, and has for one of itsobjects to provide a glove that is equipped with a novel means forcausing the thumb and all of the fingers of the glove to be drawnautomatically into engagement with a caught ball that strikes the thumband index finger at a point above the crotch of the glove.

Another object is to provide a baseball mglove that is equipped with anovel means for causing the strain exerted on the thumb and index fingerof the glove by a caught ball to be partly distributed to the other Ifingers of the glove.

* Another object of my invention is to provide a baseball glove in whichthe thumb and fingers are combined in a novel manner with a means,which, in addition to co-operating V with the thumb and index finger toform a zo-skeletonelike pocket for a caught ball, also tends to draw thefingers of the glove together and cause them to mutually support eachother in the operation of catching a ball.

, And still another object is to provide a baseball glove, which, inadditionto having the desirable characteristics above mentioned, isflexible and of such construction that it can be adjusted or changedeasily to vary the width of the ball pocket formed partly by 'the thumband index finger of the glove. Other objects and desirable features ofmy invention will be hereinafter. pointed out.

Figure l of the drawings is a front elevational' view of a baseballglove constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the fingersof the glove drawn together.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view, showingvthe fingers of the gloveseparated.

igure 3 is a rear elevational view of the 40glove, with the fingersdrawn together, as

shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings which illus- '-trate the preferred form of myinvention, A designates a baseball glove that is provided with a thumb1, an index finger 2, a second finger 3, a third finger 4 and a littlefinger 5. A lacing B that preferably consists of a 3 leather thong butwhich may be formed from 1927. Serial No. 173,137.

and the fingers of the glove in various ways without departing from thespirit of my invention, but it is preferably arranged so that it formstwo strands 00 and 3 that extend transversely of the space between thethumb 1 and index finger 2, and an extension of the top strand that isattached to the little finger 5 of the glove and which passes freelythrough the index, second and third fingers of the glove at a point infront of the users fingers, as shown in Figure 4. The strands w and yco-operate with the thumb and index finger to form a skeleton-likepocket for a caught ball, and in viewof the fact that one element ofsaid pocket, to wit, the top strand 3 is connected to a portion of thelacing B that is secured to the little finger 5 of the glove, therearward pressureiwhich a caught ball exerts on the strands m and y willdraw the fingers of'the glove together, as shown in Figure 1, and thuscause the fingers to mutually support each other. It is not essential,so far as my broad idea is concerned, that the back stop orskeleton-like rear portion of the ball pocket be formed by two or morestrands, although I prefer to construct the glove in this manner.

In the form of my invention herein illustrated the portion of the lacingB that constitutes the bottom strand at between the thumb and indexfinger, is connected at one end to the index finger preferably by a knot6 on the end of the lacing that prevents it from pulling out of twoeyelets 7 located in one side of the index finger 2. The other end ofthe bot tom strand 0a is connected to one end of the top strand 3 by aportion a of the lacing that extends longitudinally of the thumb lthrough eyelets 8 in the side of the thumb, as shown in Figure 3,thereby causing the length. of one of said strands to be increased whenthe length of the other strand is de- 5 creased. lhe opposite end of thetop strand y is connected to a portion of the lacing B that passesfreely through eyelets 9 located in the opposite sides of the indexfinger 2, and through eyelets l and 11 located in the opposite sides ofthe second finger 3 and the third finger l, resaectively, the terminalpor tion of the lacing passing through aligned eyelets 12 and 13 in thefront and rear sides of the little finger and being provided witha knot1r located on the rear side of the little finger 5, as shown in Figure3. Due to the fact that the eyeletsJ, and 11 are arranged in theopposite sides of the indexfinger, the: second finger and the thirdfinger of the glove, the lacing will be arranged in front-0f the usersfingers, as shown in Figure 4,. and consequently, will not cramp theusers fingers when the lacing is subjected to a pull in adirectiontending to draw the fingers tog gether. This method of combining thelacing with the thumb and the fingers of the glove is also desirable, inthat the user can easily adjust the gloveto vary the width of the spacebetween the thumb and index finger by untying one of the knots in thelacing and then tying a knot at a difierent point, so'as toincrease ordecrease the efiective length of the lacing.

Normally, the fingers of the glove are separated, as shown in Figure 2,but when a caught ball strikes the strands a and y of the lacing thatextend transversely between the thumb and index finger, the pressurewhich" the ball exerts on said strands'produces a pull on the portion ofthe lacing that passes through the fingers 2, 3 and 4 of the glove, andwhich is connected to the little finger 5, with the result that thefingers of the glove will be drawn together, as shown in Figure 1,thereby causing the fingers to mutually support each other. Not only arethe fingers of the glove drawn together automatically by the force orpressure which a caught ball exerts on the portion or portions of thelacing that extend transversely between the thumb and index finger, butthe strain to which the thumb and index finger are subjected by a caughtball is distributed to the other fingers of the glove.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A baseball glove provided with a thumb and fingers, strands arrangedtransversely between the thumb and index finger and connected togetherin such a way that they are capable of moving relatively to eachother soas to conform to the curvature ofa ball positioned between the thumb andindex finger, and an extension on one of said strands attached to thelittle finger of the glove and passing freely through eyelets in theside portions of the intermediate fingers, positioned so that saidextension will be located in front of the intermediate fingers of theusers hand.

2. A baseball glove provided with a thumb and fingers, and a lacingattached to the little finger of the glove and passing freely througheyelets in the opposite side portions of the third, second and indexfingers of the glove, positioned so that said lacing will be located atthe front side of the internal spaces of said parts which receive theusers fingers, said lacing comprising a plurality of transverseldisposed portions between the thumb and index finger, one of whichportions is attached to the index finger;

3". A baseball glove provided with a thumb and fingers, a lacingadjustably connected to the index finger of the glove and arranged toform two transversely-disposed strands between the thumb and indexfinger that are connected together at one end by a portion whichextendslongitudinally of the thumb of the glove, the portion of saidlacing that is connected to the top strand passing freely througheyelets in the sides of the index, second and third fingers of the gloveand being adjusta-bly connected to the little finger of the glove.

4:. A baseball glove provided: with a. thumb and fingers-,a'nd a lacingattach'ed to the index. finger of the glove and arr 'nged was to form aplurality of strands that aredi'sposed trans- Versely of the spacebetween the index finger and the thumb of the glove and which: areconnected together in such a way that the length of one' of said strandswillbeincreased when the length of the other strand is decreased,- oneof said strands having an extension that isattached to the little fingerof the glove and which passes freely thru the sides of the intermediatefingers, whereby said extension will be located in: front of the u'sersindex, second and third fingers, and hence, will. not exert a crampingaction on same when the glove is in use.

WILLIAM P. VVHITLEY..

